Our own Mr Cere writes over on Movies.com: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first film ever to be released in seven formats. Seven. Formats.

In an era where studios are still pushing 3D movies and the public simply wants good storytelling, here comes Peter Jackson in his return to Middle-earth surfing the lead wave of a new cinema technology, crashing at a theater near you December 14.

Tickets are available now and selling, according to Fandango, very well. The last Twilight film capped the online ticket sales charts since October 1 but The Hobbit toppled that, capturing 33 percent of all tickets sold. It also had more buyers than James Bond’s Skyfall, despite that film’s luxury of actually opening in theaters.

Do consumers buying all those tickets to Middle-earth even care about formats? Some do, many don’t, but one thing is clear: The Hobbit films are loaded with new technology. And, maybe we need to stop and chat about what to expect in the cinema, so hold on while we take a tour of modern movie technology. Now, ultimately, all the technology is really only a tool to tell the story so none of this will matter if the storytelling isn't good, but for today, lets leave that discussion alone.